Category Archives: Football

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Mike Bobo

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Mike Bobo.

Mike Bobo’s coaching experience (43 years old)

This is Bobo’s third year as the head coach at Colorado State, where he inherited a good program from Jim McElwain. He’s just 20-17 in three years (as of November 13), but he has kept the offense humming along. Prior to taking that gig, he was the offensive coordinator at Georgia for eight years and was an assistant at his alma mater before that. He was also a quarterback coach at Jacksonville State. Of course, he was the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs in his playing days.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaches: Great Coordinator (but with some (mediocre) Mid-Major head coaching experience)

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Mike Bobo

Bobo is a pretty strong offensive mind who knows the ins and outs of the SEC. He’s a dynamic recruiter who had a ton of success luring elite players to Athens, and he developed them well once they got there. He wasn’t always known for his play-calling acumen, but his familiarity with the league would serve him well. He also has built a strong staff in Colorado that includes former Vol Terry Fair.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Mike Bobo

Georgia fans weren’t in love with him as an offensive coordinator, plus he played ball at one of your biggest rivals. Come ON! There’s an argument to be made the Rams have taken a minor step down since he took over for McElwain, and though there have been some strong showings, CSU isn’t consistent. What kind of staff would Bobo build in Knoxville? Plus, this is not the kind of hire that would unite ticked-off fans.

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Les Miles

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Les Miles.

Les Miles coaching experience (63 years old)

After a strong tenure as Oklahoma State’s head coach, Miles took over at LSU for Nick Saban and had a great run at LSU before falling out of favor. He won a national championship and compiled a 141-55 record. The Tigers also played for another national championship. Miles was an assistant for Oklahoma State, Michigan, the Dallas Cowboys and Colorado. He served a term as the Cowboys offensive coordinator.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaches: The Proven Winner, Level One – National Champion (but with a recency problem); On Hiatus

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Les Miles

Miles can coach, he knows the SEC and he can recruit his hat off. He’s one of the most beloved characters in the SEC, and if he could hire a dynamic offensive mind to help take his scheme to the next level — something that was ultimately his downfall in Baton Rouge — he could work out. He’s a fit in the studio, and Miles is great on Twitter. He wants to coach again, but will the Vols go in this direction?

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Les Miles

The fears that his offensive scheme is antiquated were real in his latter years in Baton Rouge, but Miles is a legit great coach. He’s a gambler, and when that backfires, fans turn on him. He’s also the kind of guy who can win a press conference or wear on you with his befuddling comments. Would that be something UT wants to endure after having the King of Coachspeak and Cliches lead your team? It may wear thin.

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Lane Kiffin

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Lane Kiffin. Really? Yes, really. (Well, kind of.)

Lane Kiffin coaching experience (42 years old)

He’s been a head coach for the Oakland Raiders and then — as we all know — in 2009 with the Tennessee Vols before bolting like a thief in the night to go to USC where he failed. He resurrected his career as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator in Tuscaloosa, and he’s tearing it up in his first season as Florida Atlantic’s head coach. Prior to taking over at Oakland, he was an assistant (including offensive coordinator) at USC, and also coached at Fresno State, Colorado State and with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Son of legendary defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaches: Great Coordinator; Guru (offense); The Proven Winner, Level Four – Mid-Major Champion

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Lane Kiffin

He’s family, and you always forgive family, right? Haha. In all seriousness, though, Kiffin is an offensive genius who is good with Xs and Os, knows how to develop quarterbacks and score points. He was an immature mess the first time around with the Vols, but if he plays by the rules [huge if] and has some kind of maturity exit clause in his contract, there would be much, much worse hires. Still, there would be a lot of people — A LOT — who’d find it difficult to forgive and forget. One thing to remember is John Currie helped bring him in, though.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Lane Kiffin

Honestly, when it comes to Tennessee, Kiffin carries more baggage than Petrino. He left UT saddled and scrambling to avoid NCAA sanctions. He ran his mouth, recruited players who didn’t have staying power, replaced UT traditions with pictures of USC players and did a lot of immature things. Has he grown up? Can he follow the rules? Is he worth the gamble?

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate P.J. Fleck

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate P.J. Fleck.

P.J. Fleck’s coaching experience (36 years old)

This is just his first year of experience at a Power 5 school as he tries to rebuild Minnesota after turning Western Michigan into the mid-major standard, a team that took Wisconsin to the brink in 2016 before a close loss in the Cotton Bowl. Before that, Fleck was an assistant at Ohio State, Northern Illinois, Rutgers and with Tampa Bay in the NFL. He enjoyed a standout career at Northern Illinois before moving onto the 49ers in the NFL.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaches: The Proven Winner, Level Four – Mid-Major Champion (but just once, and is currently 5-5 at his first shot at Level Three (as of November 13))

Why the Tennessee Vols might want P.J. Fleck

He’s a young offensive mastermind and motivator that has consistently proven he can recruit, develop and build winners. What is his ceiling? He’s still too young to know, but he led the Broncos to some big-time football games a year ago, and if you can lock him in, Fleck’s best years are likely in front of him. He’s young and aggressive, and he’d probably do well in Knoxville.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want P.J. Fleck

So … about those slogans… If you’re sick of Jones and his brick-by-brick/life champions rhetoric, Fleck isn’t going to be a change of pace. He does “row the boat” after all. That stuff has worn thin in Knoxville, and there are people who’d check out at the first sign of blabber, especially when it has nothing behind it. But Fleck has proven his accountability, and he wouldn’t make excuses. Still, has he been at a big program long enough?

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Mike Leach

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Mike Leach.

Mike Leach’s coaching experience (56 years old)

Leach has experienced successful tenures as the head coach at Texas Tech and Washington State, both programs he brought from the doldrums but each teams with ceilings. It’s just hard to win a championship at either place. He was a wildly successful offensive coordinator at Valdosta State, Kentucky and Oklahoma prior to his coaching tenure. He also coached at Iowa Wesleyan, College of the Desert and Cal Poly.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaches: Guru (offense)

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Mike Leach

The Vols would put up points in bunches, and everybody would love Leach’s bluntness and quirkiness on the podium as long as he was winning. It seems his name always comes up as one of the pie-in-the-sky candidates for UT’s coaching searches, but it always seems a stretch to bring him down. It would be fun to see how his offense plays in today’s SEC. It’s said that he doesn’t get along with the Wazzu administration, and his athletic director just left for Nebraska.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Mike Leach

Leach isn’t exactly known for his running game acumen or defense — two things many of the old-school UT fans believe are important elements of playing “SEC football.” Plus, it’s unclear whether he could draw recruits to Knoxville. Would he be too stubborn to outfit his staff with the type of recruiters you must have at UT? Also, the first time Tennessee lost a game 50-45, the grumbles would start. This just seems like it has more chances of being a disaster than being a rousing success.

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Justin Fuente

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Justin Fuente.

Justin Fuente’s coaching experience (41 years old)

Wildly successful head coaching tenure at Memphis was parlayed into a gig at Virginia Tech, where he turned around a proud program with an ACC Championship Game appearance last year, and he’s followed it up with a solid 7-3 season so far for the Hokies (as of November 13). Prior to head coaching, he was an assistant (including offensive coordinator) at Illinois State and TCU.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaches: The Proven Winner, Level Three – Major Conference Contender (relatively new at Level Three, but proven at Level Four)

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Justin Fuente

There are few better offensive-minded coaches out there, and he is known for being a program builder. His system straight-up works, and though he’s quiet, he obviously knows how to motivate players, develop players and get the most out of them. UT fans would love the way the offense plays under him, and if he could make a strong defensive hire, he’d be a guaranteed hit in Knoxville. The only question mark is recruiting.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Justin Fuente

Other than some minor recruiting concerns, there’s the thought that he’s already at a destination job in Virginia Tech, which is a place that adores him. He doesn’t yearn for the burning spotlight of the SEC, and as a quiet guy, you could totally see him settling in to Blacksburg for a long, long time. He has a high buyout, but the number goes down in December. Can the Vols wait until then? If so, you’re essentially sacrificing a year of recruiting.

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Bobby Petrino

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Bobby Petrino.

Bobby Petrino coaching experience (56 years old)

Petrino is 73-26 (as of November 13) as the head coach at Louisville in his second stint. He’s also been a head coach at Western Kentucky and Arkansas, where he was building the Hogs into an annual contender until a scandal derailed him. He was the coach of the Atlanta Falcons for a year, and he was an NFL assistant for several years. Petrino was also a college assistant at Carroll, Weber State, Idaho, Arizona State, Utah State, Louisville, and Auburn including numerous collegiate stints as offensive coordinator.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaching: The Proven Winner, Level Three – Major Conference Contender; Guru (offense and quarterbacks); Pro

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Bobby Petrino

This hasn’t been a particularly good year for Petrino, but he is one of the foremost offensive minds in all of college football. He’s a veteran who has proven he can coach and recruit in the SEC, develop quarterbacks — pro-style and dual-threat — and is a master at tailoring his offense to match the talent on his team. He has experienced success recruiting in Florida and has won in the SEC.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Bobby Petrino

The Vols could probably get Petrino, but how much would he cost and how loyal would he be? He’s a job-jumper who has been at a lot of places. Also, how much of that Louisville investigation stink does he have on him? Any? When it comes to baggage, few coaches bring as much as Petrino, who lied to the Falcons before taking the job at Arkansas, was involved in the secretive Auburn Tuberville-for-Petrino swap way back when and the infamous motorcycle wreck with a woman who wasn’t his wife that ultimately led to his ouster in Fayetteville.

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Charlie Strong

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Charlie Strong.

Charlie Strong coaching experience (57 years old)

He enjoyed a strong tenure as Louisville’s coach from 2010-13 before being hired at Texas, which was a nightmare experience. He was never a fit there, and after replacing Willie Taggart at South Florida, he has the Bulls with just one loss. He was an assistant at Florida, Texas A&M, Southern Illinois, Ole Miss, Notre Dame and South Carolina. He made a name for himself as the Gators defensive coordinator, and that’s how he got his head coaching gig.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaches: The Proven Winner, Level Three – Major Conference Contender (although there has been some mixed success at Level Three)

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Charlie Strong

At one point, he was going to be the fit in Knoxville, but it fell through. There are varying reports on how and why it fell through, but all reports are that he was very close to being Tennessee’s head coach the last time around. Would you go after him again if you’re John Currie? It’s almost a certainty he could coach up a defensive-minded team and use his south Florida ties to recruit well. He knows the SEC as well as anybody.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Charlie Strong

That checkered history with the Vols will not help his cause. And when he got his opportunity to coach a big program, he blew it in Austin. Strong has struggled in building consistent offensive programs who can produce enough points to be successful. Which coach would show up? The one at Louisville or the one at Texas? I think it would be tough to go in this direction.

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Jimbo Fisher

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Jimbo Fisher.

Jimbo Fisher’s coaching experience (52 years old)

The national championship-winning coach at Florida State has gone 81-23 since taking over for the legendary Bobby Bowden in 2010. Before that, he was Bowden’s heir apparent and offensive coordinator for the Seminoles where he excelled. Prior to that run, he was a Nick Saban disciple, winning a championship at LSU as an offensive coordinator and coaching the Tigers from 2000-06. Early in his career, he had stints at Auburn and Cincinnati. He began his career at Birmingham’s Samford University as an assistant from 1988-92. With a Bowden-Saban pedigree, that’s strong.

GRT’s taxonomy of college football coaches: The Proven Winner, Level One – National Champion (but with a bit of a “recency” problem.)

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Jimbo Fisher

Just last year, Fisher was one of the most coveted coaches in all of the country. He hasn’t forgotten how to coach just because Florida State lost its dynamic quarterback Deondre Francois and is suffering a down year. If the Vols could go in this direction, he’d be a slam dunk, no matter if several FSU fans want him out. Maybe some of the shine has worn off, but he isn’t that far removed from a championship, and he has done great work in Tallahassee. He could bring a staff that would include Jay Graham and even possibly Randy Sanders (though he was just let go). That not appealing to you? How about Sal Sunseri!! All jokes aside, Fisher is a very good coach and an elite recruiter. Plus, he’d be a lot more appreciated at UT than at FSU.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Jimbo Fisher

Fisher’s 2017 season is a bit of a black eye. And he also dealt with plenty of criticism for his win-at-all-costs mentality during the Jameis Winston era. Of course, when you haven’t won very much like UT, you start compromising a little. There has been some criticism of Fisher being set in his offensive ways, but that formula has been successful with elite athletes. Can he have the same sort of recruiting acumen at UT that he has at FSU? If so, some of his character concerns may not matter all that much; it isn’t like he’s ever been in any real trouble with the NCAA.

 

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Willie Taggart

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Willie Taggart.

Willie Taggart’s coaching experience (41 years old)

Assistant coach at Western Kentucky spent on the offensive side from 1999-2006, including a Co-OC role. Then, he moved to Stanford to be running backs coach from 2007-09 under Jim Harbaugh. He took over at WKU as head coach, ushering the Hilltoppers into FBS play, where he went 2-10, 7-5, 7-5 in those rocky years of the transition, building the recruiting base for the success the school had under Bobby Petrino and Jeff Brohm. Taggart took over at South Florida, going 2-10 and 4-8 before turning the Bulls around and going 8-5 and 10-2, thanks largely in part to strong recruiting, including grabbing elite athlete Quenton Flowers, who was coveted by plenty of marquee schools as an athlete. Taggart sold him on playing quarterback, and the program was off. This is his first year at Oregon, and the Ducks started 4-1 before Justin Herbert was injured. They’re now 5-5 (as of November 13).

GRT’s taxonomy of college football coaches: The Proven Winner, Level Four – Mid-Major Champion (currently in his first year at a shot at Level Three)

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Willie Taggart

Taggart is an intense competitor and dynamic recruiter, who has spent time in the Southeast, convincing players to play for USF. He is an innovative, run-first offensive mind who blends spread concepts very well into a power offense. He’s a great developer of running backs and has enjoyed a slew of good players under him. He could bring defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt to Knoxville along with a powerful staff that could step right in and be just the kind of staff UT needs to get it away from its soft mentality, a belief perpetuated by NFL scouts that has played out on the field this season.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Willie Taggart

Both of his head coaching stops have been characterized by difficult transitional years, partially from inheriting “down” programs but also because of instilling the Taggart mentality into the program. That has been the case this year in Oregon too, thanks to the injury to starting quarterback Herbert. Would UT be willing to wait if there was an overhaul? Plus, his 45-49 head coaching record — on its surface — doesn’t look great. For those wanting a “sexy” hire, Taggart may not fit the bill, but some won’t look deep enough to be happy. Also, this is his first year at Oregon. Would he leave after only one season? What would it take to get him?